Uzumaki
by Rose Mistress
Summary: After meeting a mysterious fortune teller in the middle of the night, Ryou was in for the worse turn in his life as he was subject to the madness of the spiral curse. Now he has a difficult choice to make before Halloween with Hitoru's life on the line.
1. Verse I

Summary: Ryou was a simple teen with a simple life. He had a nice boyfriend and kept up good grades. But when he met up with a weird fortune teller in the middle of the night, his life falls in the a downward spiral and only one thing that can cure such a curse.

Disclaimer: Don't own Yugioh or the manga that inspired this little October Halloween story, Uzumaki.

* * *

Uzumaki

Chapter 1

* * *

Ryou smiled as he walked out of school, arm in arm with his loving boyfriend, Hitoru. "Hey, Hitoru, want to spend the night studying for the big test tomorrow?" Ryou asked. "Sure. We can head over to my place. You know my mom loves having you over." he answered with a smile. Ryou smiled as well and nodded. "Alright. Let's get going then." Hitoru nodded in agreement and arm in arm, they headed over to Hitoru's home to study. Once night fell, Ryou said his goodbyes and left for home. Hitoru's mom offered to give him a ride home but he declined, telling her that he'll be fine. As he walked home, the roads started to become foggy and he shivered a little as he looked around. On various occasions during the fall did Domino get a little foggy but not this bad. The sound of a chime was heard along the silent streets and it made him just a little scared and jumped as he heard a soft laugh from an alleyway.

"Well there. You're a cute boy. Why are you out alone?" the male whispered, a shawl covering his face but russet eyes glanced at Ryou from underneath. Before him sat a table and on it say a crystal ball. "W-well, I was walking home. It was a nice night but it just got scary..." he whispered as he moved over to the table. "What are you doing out here so late?"

"Why, it is midnight, the bewitching hour. That's when I show to give some advice to wayward people out this late."

Ryou gasped before looking at his watch. "Wow. I didn't know it was so late. Maybe I should've stayed over with Hitoru."

Russet eyes gleamed with malicious intent but Ryou missed it. "Hitoru? Who is Hitoru if I may ask?" Ryou smiled. "He's the most wonderful guy I ever met. When I first came here, I had no friends but the first day I went to school, he was there and we talked and we became friends. Afterward, we started to feel something for each other and now we're going steady." The male's eyes narrowed before he chuckled as he gazed into the swirling mist of the crystal ball.

"It won't last."

Ryou looked to him. "It won't? Why not?" The male smirked as he looked up to Ryou. "Because, events will happen and once those events happen, you'll never see him again." he said and Ryou shook his head. "No, that won't happen. It can't." he whispered. But the male nodded and it felt like a cold weight settled in his stomach. "But..."

"But what?"

"But I can save you. All you have to do is take this." he said as he held up a black rose to Ryou. The stem was covered in thorns and Ryou stepped back. "I...I don't want to..." But the male gave him a skeptical look, just asking if he really wanted to prevent the only thing that could save Hitoru. After much contemplating, he stepped forward tentatively and reached out for the rose. He grabbed it but winced, dropping it as he pricked his palm on the thorns. "Thank you." he said as he took the rose and looked to the thorn covered in blood and dropped it onto the ball. The ball glowed faintly before the swirling mist inside turned red. "Cause now you sealed your fate. With this rose, I claim you as mine. With your blood, you are bound to me. Try to resist and the curse of the spiral will engulf you. In this month of October, you have until the day of Halloween to make the right decision to save yourself and those closest to you. Fail, and you will suffer the consequences. Know that I'll be watching you and every move your make." he said and laughed.

Ryou stepped back, afraid, before watching as fog filled the entire alley and once it dispersed, the mysterious fortune teller was gone. Ryou stepped back before running home, trying to chant in his mind that it was nothing but his imagination but nothing could make an explanation of the mark on his hand from the rose thorn.

* * *

The next day, Ryou headed to school, looking about just in case something seemed wrong. Seeing nothing, he relaxed and continued to school with a skip in his step and smiled as he saw Hitoru hanging by the front gate waiting for him. Too happy to see his boyfriend, he didn't hear the menacing laughter floating over the breeze. "Hey, Hitoru. How are you?" he asked as he leaned up to kiss his cheek lightly. He smiled down to Ryou and patted his head lightly. "Just great. Ready for the test today?" Ryou nodded and they both headed into the school for their classes.

But that's when the curse decided to start.

When he sat down, ready to take his test, he felt a chill and shook it off, thinking nothing of it. As he was given the test paper, things went fine up until the words seemed to spiral over the paper, making it illegible. He rubbed his eyes and looked back at the paper, seeing the words still spiraled over the paper. He blinked before looking around. Everyone around him was taking their tests normally. He gulped slightly as he looked up to the clock. The ticking of seconds was loud in his ears and soon, right before his eyes, the hands of the clock froze and started shifting. He yelped, falling out from his seat and Hitoru looked over to him. "Are you alright?" he asked as the teacher moved over to him.

"Ryou, do you need to step outside for a bit?"

Ryou looked to them both before reassuring Hitoru and nodded to the teacher as he stood and went to step outside the classroom. He tapped his foot slightly as he tried to get rid of the feeling he felt. _'Get it together, Ryou. Whatever happened the night before with that creepy fortune teller was just your imagination. There's no such thing as a curse about spirals. If I don't get over it, they'll send me to the loony bin for this...'_ he thought as he sighed, leaning back against the wall, gaze down to the floor. When he looked back up, he nearly screamed when he saw the very same fortune teller standing before him.

"Bet you weren't expecting to see me again, huh?"

"What are you doing here?" he squeaked and the male chuckled. "Nothing at all. Just checking up on you. Seems you didn't want to heed my warning." he whispered and Ryou tried to move away from him. "W-what! I thought that was just my mind playing tricks with me!" The male laughed as he watched him. "Do you really think I would joke." he whispered as he moved towards Ryou. "You don't know what I'm capable of, little angel. What happened in there was just fooling around. But if you think it was just a trick of the mind, then I guess I'll have to step my game up a notch." Pearly fangs gleamed from underneath the shawl as russet eyes glanced to Ryou once more.

"I'll just say this. All of this can end just like the snap of a finger if you dump the dead weight and come with me. I can treat you better. I wouldn't want to lose such a precious little angel while I'm here." Ryou shook his head and stepped back more. The eyes narrowed before the male smirked. "So, that's your answer? Too bad." he said as he raised a hand and Ryou gasped as things started to swirl before him and he yelped as he fell into a hole but he manage to grab onto the edge. He looked down into the swirling darkness below him and then back up to the male standing there.

"I'll make you mine. Willingly or not. Just know things will be much easier on you if you didn't fight. But until then, you have till the end of the month. But my wrath won't stop. Each day, something will happen and it will always be something related to the spiral curse, Uzumaki. Stop it if you wish but don't think it will be so easy." he said with a laugh before disappearing right before Ryou's eyes. The shock caused him to let go and he cried out as he fell into the abyss.

"...you...Ryou...Ryou!" A voice call and he screamed as he woke up to see Hitoru standing there. "What happened? You never came back in and I had to wait til the end of class to see if you were alright. When I came out here, I saw you passed out in the middle of the hallway." he said, worried for his lover. Ryou rested a hand on his head as he looked about. There was nothing wrong and everything looked completely fine, as if he never encountered the man earlier. He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Must've gotten dizzy." he said as he moved to stand with some help from Hitoru. "Should I take you to the nurse?"

"No, I'll be fine. Guess I missed out this period. Let me get my things and you can walk with me to my next class." Hitoru nodded and watched as Ryou stepped back into the class to gather his books and bag. When he reached his desk though, his eyes widened as he looked to the black rose laden with thorns, one still holding a bit of his blood on it.

And from there on, the days would only get worse.

* * *

Zypher: Whew. Done with that. Hope you readers like it for there's more to come as the month goes on. I would definitely recommend reading Uzumaki. Very nice and scary manga, just beware for gore, scary situations and many spirals await you. I wouldn't blame you if you somehow got dizzy from it. -chuckles- Anyway, cue the beginning of this horror story. Enjoy the read and I shall be back with more.


	2. Verse II

Uzumaki

Chapter 2

* * *

After school, Ryou waved to Hitoru before making his way home. He discarded the rose that was on his desk and tried to ignore the fact that a curse was now hovering over him. He had to do something though. If he let this goes on, Hitoru would die and that's the last thing he wanted on his conscious right now. But how can he handle it is the problem. He was dealing with a powerful force and he was a mere human. There was little he could do unless he found out a way to take care of the curse. "Guess the library would be good for a start." he murmured as he started making his way there.

Once he got there, he took a moment to look at just about every corner around for anything suspicious before heading inside and looked around. The librarian wasn't around so he was of no help. He sighed before he started looking for the mythology section. When he came across it, he started searching for anything related to the Uzumaki curse. Sadly, he found nothing. He sighed softly before turning and yelped as the librarian stood before him. He wouldn't blame people from school being afraid to come to the library with this guy running it. He stood pretty tall with wild, wheat blond hair and dark mauve eyes that just held some sort of psychotic glow in them. He grinned down at him.

"Need something, Ryou-kun?" he asked.

"Um...yes. Tell me. Do you know if the library holds any books on curses or Domino history?" he asked meekly.

"Curses, huh? Why would such a smart boy worry about curses?" he questioned. "You are smarter than that, right?" Ryou nodded and the librarian chuckled. "Then you don't need a book on curses." He started walking off and Ryou ran after him. "Wait, wait, wait! I really need it if you have one!" he said and the librarian looked back to him.

"Why?"

"It's a little complicated..." he whispered.

"Ryou-kun, I've heard of worse. You can trust your old friend Marik now, can't ya?" Ryou sighed and nodded. Some people wondered how he could get along with the weird librarian but if you ignore the fact that he looked like he was mental patient that belong in an insane asylum, he was actually quite nice and funny. But sadly, no one understood that except for Ryou. "Well..." Ryou started explaining what happened the night before and Marik nodded, smirking slightly. "The Uzumaki curse, huh? Not often I hear about that one. Letsee here..." he murmured as he made his way back to the front desk to check out some book information. Ryou stood there, waiting for Marik to come back. He sighed softly, gripping the strap of his bag tightly in hand._ 'There has to be something, please let there be something about this curse...'_ he thought as he waited for Marik to come back. He never noticed the woman coming up behind him until she bumped into him and he yelped, turning quickly, books falling from the woman's hands.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Here, let me help you." he said as he knelt down and grabbed the books without looking at the titles. But as he picked up the last one, he took a glance at the cover. A whirling image is what he met with and gasped before looking away from the book, standing and handing the books back to the woman. "H-here you are." he whispered.

"Why thank you, child." Gnarled fingers grasped the books again and he glanced up to her, his eyes widening as he looked into the woman's eyes. Her eyes were blank other than the dark swirl that seemed to engulf her eyes. He stepped back and let the woman pass, a chill running down her spine. He knew when he felt that chill...it only meant that the fortune teller's work was being done. Marik soon came back, a large book in hand. "Here we are. Everything about the Uzumaki curse. Hope you get yourself free... 'cause the fortune teller is a tough one to deal with. He gets what he wants _all _the time." Marik whispered as he left Ryou to check out the book at the front.

Ryou watched him go. He held the book tightly to his chest. _'Does Marik know something about that fortune teller?'_ he wondered to himself as he moved towards the front. He kept his eyes out for the woman he saw not too long ago and when he didn't see her in the library at all, he gave a sigh and went to checkout the book and made his way home.

* * *

As he headed home, night started to fall and he started rushing before he was caught out later than he wanted to be with the fortune teller able to pop out at inopportune times. But before he could even get to his house, right there and not far from the step was the woman. "Hello there, good boy. Could you offer a nice old lady some assistance?" she asked, her voice gravely withered. "Um...I really have to get inside..." he whispered. But the woman didn't take no as an answer as she started walking towards Ryou. "Please, good boy, please help me. Your help would be appreciated."

"I can't. Really, I can't!" he cried. But that seemed to make the woman mad. She screamed, a piercing sound that rang throughout the neighborhood and he cried as he held his ears, dropping the book on the ground. "Your help would be appreciated! **_Appreciated__!_**" she hissed as she stepped forward once again, her entire appearance changing, eyes swirling like a storm as her hair flowed out, writhing about like angry snakes and probably could grab him if he got too close. "W-what do you want?" he whispered as he looked up to her.

**_"The book! Give me the book! I need the book!"_**

Ryou glanced down to the book and grabbed it, seeing the woman reach out for it. **_"Give it to me! It's mine! Mine to give to the Kajou no Ankoku!"_** she screeched again, small twisters forming around her. _'Kajou no Ankoku...the spiral of darkness?'_ Ryou wondered. But he didn't have enough time to ponder as he stepped back. _**"Give me the book...give it to meeeee..."**_ the woman hissed once more. Ryou shook his head and the woman screamed once more as she whirled around, becoming a twister herself before it died down, leaving no sign of the woman there. He looked around, the air cold around him before he stood and made his way into his home, the only safe haven he could think off. As soon as he stepped it, he jumped when the phone rang. He took a deep breath, trying to return his heart rate to normal.

_'This curse nonsense is going to make me paranoid of my own shadow soon.'_ he thought quietly to himself as he went to pick up the phone. "Ryou! Oh I'm glad you picked up!" Hitoru's voice echoed over the line. He smiled softly. "I'm ok. Were you worried?" he asked.

"Yes. I tried calling you as soon as I got home but you didn't answer and I was freaking out." he said. "You already scared me after what happened at school. I don't need you getting snatched up off the street."

"I made a stop at the library to find something. I'll tell you more when we get a chance to be alone. It's very important."

"Really? What's so important about it that you can't tell me over the phone?" Hitoru asked.

"Well...I don't know..."

"Please, Ryou...is there's something wrong with you, I want to know so I can help you somehow. Please don't leave me in the dark." Hitoru whispered and Ryou frowned and was about to tell Hitoru what was going on but static started sounding over the phone. "Hitoru? Hitoru can you still hear me!" he called.

"Just...barely...what's going...on...?"

"Hitoru! There's a curse on me! The Uzumaki curse! If I don't do something, you might die!" he cried but the static only got louder and soon, the line went dead. "Hitoru..." he murmured and looked down. "It isn't fun if my competition knows what's going on." A voice whispered and he turned to see the man there once more, the shawl finally off and revealed the features of the other. He gasped at how similar they resembled. Same white hair only with shades of grey darkening it more, dark russet eyes always gleaming in the darkness, the only thing that seems to betray them from being near twins was the light tan of his skin compared to his ghostly paleness.

"W-why are you here?" Ryou whimpered as he moved back. "Well, I had a little drone come and scare you up a little but also, I came for that." he said as he pointed to the book. Ryou held it close and the male frowned. "Now, now. Hand it over. I don't need you to learn secrets that would having you winning this little game of mine."

"A game! You think this curse is a game! I wish I never decided to talk with you and I would've been fine with Hitoru and never having to worry about this spiral curse and you!" he screamed and the male laughed. "Really! You think if you _hadn't_ spoken with me, _you _would be safe!" he said, snickering darkly. "You just don't know. There's so much you don't know that I do. And they will continue to be kept a secret. The only way you'll learn them is if you come with me." he whispered, holding a hand out to him.

"Come with me, little angel. I'll take you away from all this. The curse will be lifted and Hitoru will be unharmed." Ryou shook his head and stepped back. "Never." The male frowned but composed himself. "Alright then. As you wish and hey, I'll let you have that handicap but know this, things will only get worse." he said, grinning darkly before he was gone once again as the distant sound of thunder was heard. Ryou watched the spot where he stood before moving towards the area, seeing a spiral mark there. He whimpered again as another clap of thunder was heard and he herded up to his room. He had a bad feeling about that mark.

He sat down on the bed and opened the book and started skimming through pages. Apparently the curse was older than he thought and it all circled around the Kajou no Ankoku. It told him that every Halloween, a wayward traveler would be tricked by the fortune teller who, instead of telling fortunes, tells of what's to come. The problem was that no one wanted to believe him and that was a dangerous move for when the day of dealings arrived, the event that the fortune teller spoke of would happen and it was always related to the spiral, which later became the Uzumaki curse. He delved deeper into the text and soon found what he wanted to learn. The beginning of the Kajou no Ankoku.

_/Many years ago, a peasant was the greatest interest in a royal. The royal treated the peasant with gifts of gold, gems, fine silks and furs. The peasant was happy and loved the royal with his heart. But on a fated day, the peasant found out that to royal was engaged to be married and truly planned to use him as nothing but a cheap trinket when he tired of spending time with his wife. Angered, the peasant found a scroll with a curse and cast it upon the royal but at a price. After the curse was completed, the estate where the royal lived was demolished by a dark vortex and the engraving of the spiral from the vortex left on the ground, the imprint never changing and never fading. Word of the peasant was never heard again. Eventually, a town was built upon the spot and it prospered but only brought the curse upon them for the peasant, broken-hearted, now cast the curse on whoever interested him for after that day, he became known as the Kajou no Ankoku, the Spiral of Darkness./_

Ryou frowned as he read and now knew the reason for the curse. It was because of a broken heart of a simple peasant that caused him to become the Kajou no Ankoku. "But if the town was brought upon the curse for being built on the location where the estate was...then that means...Domino was built on the very same area!" he said as he closed the book and looked outside to the rain. Another clap of thunder and this time, a flash of lightning accompanied it, Ryou noting that it was distorted into a spiral and whimpered as he crawled into bed and sat the book off to the side and decided to get some sleep before something happened. He knew the reason, now the problem was doing something about it before Hitoru was hurt and he was taken away by the Kajou no Ankoku.

* * *

In a hidden location, the Kajou no Ankoku paced around, growling darkly. "Why won't he come with me? Does he really care for that pathetic boy so much?" he hissed as he shattered a piece of pottery before moving over to the table where the crystal ball rested and placed a hand on it, watching as it showed the image of Ryou. A tiny smile appeared on his face as he looked to him. "I haven't felt something like this in centuries. Why do you taunt me with your beauty and refuse to come with me?" he whispered before lifting his head as he heard someone enter. "So, Marik, you finally came back."

"Well of course, Bakura. You did want me to collect a few things from these humans. We don't stick around this area because we're on vacation." he said, smirking softly as he walked over to him. "Don't worry. If Ryou-kun knows better, he'll cave in for the greater good." Bakura looked to him and nodded before turning to him fully. "Did you do as I asked?"

Marik huffed before lifting up some worn pages. "Well duh. Did you really expect me to give him a book of your own history and not take out pages that had the cure to get rid of you before you can get what you want?" he said, sounding like he was offended. "But please, for my own sanity or what's left of it, don't send that freaky banshee drone into the library again. That thing still creeps even me out." Bakura laughed as he wrapped his arms around Marik, head moving to rest upon his shoulder. "I knew there was a reason I didn't kill you. You were the best company I had in a couple years. I'm glad you eyed my stand." Marik smirked as he ruffled Bakura's hair.

"Well, your beauty was the reason I came over. Too bad I wasn't your type or else everything would've been cured but then you would've never met this little gem." he said as he looked back to the slumbering boy in the crystal. "But we'll get him. Just work your magic and I'll do my part by making sure Hitoru doesn't become any more of a hindrance than he already is just by being there as his lifeline to reject you every time." he said and Bakura nodded.

* * *

Zypher: Holy shitake mushrooms. I think I almost went there. -laughs- I have a right to laugh at myself. I'm almost dabbed into the psychoshipping pool! Well, my feet only got wet and that's probably all that I'll ever do of that shipping. Couldn't resist for the moment nearly asked for it. Anywho thank you all that reviewed and hoped you enjoyed this little installment for more shall come where we actually might get into some collateral damage. I love collateral damage! -grins- I think Marik is rubbing off on me. The little psycho. Anyways, hoped you enjoyed this chapter, I'll see you later with another and excuse me as I hide for I think Ryou might come after me for dabbing around in other shippings with Bakura when this story is supposed to be Tender. See ya! -runs off-


	3. Verse III

Uzumaki

Chapter 3

* * *

The next day, Ryou was wary of his surroundings, not knowing what may come at him next. He jumped as he heard a knock at the door and sighed, running a hand through his hair as he made his way to the door. He opened it to see Hitoru on the other side, out of breath indicating he ran all the way there. "Ryou, what's going on? I lost contact with you and couldn't call you back since the storm knocked out my power for the rest of the night." Ryou looked outside quickly before bringing Hitoru inside and closed the door. "Hitoru, it's going to sound crazy but I have a curse on me."

"What!"

Ryou sighed and nodded. "You might not believe it but its true. When I left your house that night, I came across an odd fortune teller hiding out in the mouth of an alleyway. He tried to tell me that you were going to die by Halloween lest I do something about it. I...I didn't want anything to happen to you so I did as he asked but only got a curse placed on me instead. Apparently, this Kajou no Ankoku wants me and will kill you unless I go with him." Ryou explained. Hitoru listened to the story and nodded. "I believe you and honestly, I bet this guy coming for you is jealous. What other reason would he want you and threaten my life if that wasn't the case." he said and Ryou smiled a little.

"Thanks for believing me but what are we going to do? I'm haunted by the spiral and your life is still at risk. I don't want to go with that man but if I keep resisting, you're going to die." Hitoru placed his hands on Ryou's shoulders, looking down to him. "Leave that to me. I won't die and you won't have to go with that guy. He might be some powerful guy but that doesn't mean some fancy curse and powers are going to break us up." Ryou nodded and he was ushered by the other to get dressed and ready for school.

* * *

Bakura watched from the crystal ball, growling darkly. "That ass." he mumbled before clearing away the image with a wave of his hand and started to pace. He had to think of something to break them apart but he didn't want to make his presence know to his competition so easily. He then smirked. "I have the perfect people. Guess Marik isn't the only one on this job." he murmured as he pulled out a golden whistle and blew into it, the sound silent. It was a few moment, before two figures dropped down from the dark ceiling and looked to him. "What is it you need, boy?"

"Oh stop that, Crimson. I need you and Toben to make someone's life a living hell until I decide to come in by the end of this month." Sharp teeth gleamed in the darkness as crimson eyes looked to him. "Really now? Found yourself another person to target with Uzumaki?" Crimson questioned.

"Yes but this isn't any ordinary target." Bakura whispered as he walked off a little. "This one...has capture my broken heart. But I can't mend it with someone in the way! So I need you two to go out there and broadcast my curse on the boy that resembles me and his little playmate. If you two can break them up, it'll make my job easier." he said and they both nodded before the crimson-eyed one looked to his companion. "Let's go, Toben." he said before the flapping of wings signaled their leave.

Bakura smirked as he watched them go before returning back to the crystal ball, bringing up Ryou and Hitoru's image once more. "Time for the game to begin and see who breaks first." he whispered.

* * *

The two walked on to school, nothing out of the ordinary happening at least for now. From above on the roof of a high building did Crimson and Toben sat, a small cauldron before them. "So what are we gonna do to then, huh?" Toben questioned eagerly. Crimson was skimming through a book of previous conquests and smirked. "The banshee has already been used to give a name and the spiral storm to bring fright. Now its time to burden the family of the enemy." Toben grinned darkly.

"So the spiral addiction?" he said as he started grabbing ingredients.

"Right."

They both laughed as they got to work while from below, Ryou shivered, telling that something was wrong.

After school, Ryou headed over with Hitoru to his house, more as a protection guideline than anything. When they entered though, Hitoru's mother came at them, saying that there was something wrong with his father. They looked to one another, Ryou giving him a worried glance before Ryou asked what was wrong. "He wasn't like this before. He just started mumbling to himself and left. When he came back, he had seashells, snail shells and other things with a swirly design on them. He hoarding them away like some collection." she explained and Ryou frowned. "That's odd. I just hope it doesn't get any worse." Sadly Ryou didn't know the extent of how bad Hitoru's father's addiction was about to run.

The two headed upstairs and into Hitoru's room. Ryou sighed as he dropped his bag and sat down on the floor, Hitoru immediately following. "This is all my fault. Something bad might happen to your father and it's all my fault." he whispered.

"Ryou, don't say that. Even though a curse was placed onto you, you still had a good heart since the reason you even got into this was to save me. Couldn't wish for a better lover than that." he said, smiling softly as he hugged him. "We'll get through this, you'll see. I'm not going to let this guy get the best of us. I will fight or die trying." Ryou looked to him and smiled as he brought Hitoru in for a sweet kiss.

From his hideout, Bakura's magic spiked up from his anger as he watched them kissed. "He sullies those perfect angelic lips!" he growled and Marik tsked as he came in and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry yourself so much, Bakura. He'll get what's coming to him. With the spiral addiction curse going, eventually his family will crumble and he'll go along with it. He may accept the fact that as long as he's around Ryou, bad things will happen and he'll leave him. And when that happens..." Bakura smirked. "I'll get him to come back with me on the rebound." he whispered and chuckled darkly.

* * *

The days continued on and the condition only got worse. Nothing that Hitoru and his mother did snapped him out of it. Eventually, getting too freaked out to ignore it any longer, Hitoru's mother tossed out her husband's spiral collection. When he returned that night, he freaked of his collection being gone and would've went mental if the two didn't lock him away in the guest room to let him cool off. "This is crazy...Ryou...I have to save you from this before you become the next victim." Hitoru murmured to himself before heading to bed that night. The next day, Hitoru headed off to go meet up with Ryou and his mother let out her husband. He acted completely normal and fine but she never noticed the dark secret he was hiding.

As the day went on, a large package came for the man and he signed for it before taking it in and brought it up to the spare room. When his wife came looking for him, she was in for quite the scare, the rumbling of thunder across the sky overshadowing her scream of terror.

* * *

"Another storm..." Ryou murmured as he stood inside the school building, not wanting to walk out in the rain. Hitoru came up behind him, umbrella in hand and smiled down to him. Ryou smiled back up to him before walking beside him and they headed for his house. Ryou looked out into the empty streets, the lack of people making the place feel eerie and with what's he's dealing with, he didn't like it one bit. He looked up to the rooftops and saw something peculiar there. Crimson eyes gazed down at him as the figure sat there. Sharp teeth pulled back in a grin and Ryou gasped as the figure disappeared in a dust devil. "Hitoru..." he whispered as he scooted closer to the other male. "Ryou, what's wrong?" he asked. Ryou gazed back up to the roof before shaking his head.

"Nothing...it's nothing..." he murmured.

They reached the house but as they entered, they were greeted with his mother's crying. "Mom, what's wrong?" Hitoru asked.

"Your father..." she whispered but couldn't say anymore. Ryou gulped before moving from Hitoru's side and ran upstairs. Only one of the doors were open and he made his way closer before looking inside. What he saw made him want to vomit. "Oh Ra..." he whispered as he stepped back before looking as Hitoru came up. "Ryou!"

"Don't look inside, Hitoru!" he cried but the other didn't listen as he looked into the room. "Holy shit..." Hitoru murmured as he saw what was inside. Inside the room laid a circular tub and within that very small tub was Hitoru's father, completely rolled up inside of it. "It has to be the curse...the curse and my association with it killed your father. I'm so sorry, Hitoru..." Ryou whimpered before running out from the house despite Hitoru calling for him to come back. He ran blindly through the rain, tears coursing down his face so of course, he wouldn't be watching where he was going and ran head-first into a person. He yelped as he hit the cold ground before looking up to the person that stood before him.

Toben smirked, one eye having a spiral pupil. "Nice to meet you, Ryou. Glad you enjoyed our little gift and more are to come." he whispered and Ryou scurried back. "You have two weeks. I'm here to pass the message on to you. If you want him to live, come to the old shrine." he murmured before raising a hand and a spiral strike of lightning crashed down onto him and Ryou gasped as he covered his eyes. When he opened them, the rain had stopped and the person that stood before him was gone.

* * *

Zypher: There, after three days of staring at it, I got it done. The curse is now getting into the destructive phase and taking it's first victim. This mode of death solely belong to the manga and not me but of course, I think it's scary enough to think of a full grown man deciding to become a spiral by curling himself up in a tub smaller than him is good enough or this story. Anywho, hoped you enjoyed and I shall be back with another chapter soon. But until then, I need some votes! My poll is in my profile so head there and place them in. Your votes will determine the ending path of this story. Don't forget and I shall see you later.


	4. Verse IV

Uzumaki

Chapter 4

* * *

Ryou stepped into the house after gaining his bearings once more after his latest scare. He just didn't know what to do. All he had was the history of the curse and the fact that it would forever plague the city for the mark was long entombed under concrete and mile high buildings. If there was a possible way to get rid of the Kajou no Ankoku and the spiral mark under the city, apparently it wasn't going to be found easily. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked down to the spiral marking that was still etched on the floor. "What is the purpose of this?" he wondered before shaking his head. "If I keep worrying, I'm going to lose my head." With Hitoru helping him out, hopefully they will figure out a way to get rid of this curse not just from him but from Domino as well. He made his way upstairs, needing to get himself a bath. He was accustomed to taking a shower but seeing as water will go down the drain in a spiral motion, he didn't want to risk what could be possible if he let that happen.

He sighed as he relaxed in the warm bath, a simple luxury that he was glad to afford without the risk of something bad happening. He lounged back and closed his eyes, falling into a small doze, completely unaware of what was happening downstairs. The spiral that was etched on the floor started to slowly twist, growing with each minute before two people clambered out of it. Crimson huffed as he dusted his shirt off, taking on a human form before grabbing Toben and pulled him out. "Come on." he growled before he started lurking throughout the house with Toben following close behind.

"So, why are we here again?"

"Well, Bakura wants his little pet to be cared for and so we're going to do that while making the other guy's life a living hell." Crimson explained as they made their way into the kitchen. "Well, if we gotta do cooking or anything, I'm leaving that to you." Toben huffed as he crossed his arms, brushing back a strand of hair from his face. "Fine. I'll take care of that now. You go find him." Crimson said, crimson eyes glancing to him before he started grabbing things to cook. Toben let out a puff of air before nodding and started making his way upstairs. He looked through room after room before coming across the bathroom and saw that Ryou was there. He smirked as he raised a hand, deciding that it was the perfect time to give him another scare. Ryou was blissfully unaware of what was going on before he realized the water was moving on its own. He opened his eyes and gasped when he saw a large whirlpool engulfing his tub. He tried to back away from it but could only get so far. Even though he had leverage on the tub floor, the whirlpool seemed to be going into an endless abyss.

"Scared yet, kiddo?" A voice questioned and he quickly turned to see the man standing there and yelped. "Who are you!" he whimpered. "Just a guest. A very familiar guest." he said, wine red eyes looking to him and Ryou caught sight of the spiral within one of them. "You...you're that animal I saw earlier." Toben growled. "I'm not an animal!" he hissed but then thought it over and smirked. "But then again, it isn't a far cry off from monster." he murmured, tapping his chin in thought.

"What do you want?"

Toben looked back to him and chuckled. "Well, the Ankoku no Kajou wanted me and my dear friend whose making a nice dinner for you to keep an eye on you. We won't influence your choice...much...but we're here to escort you there should you agree to go with him and save your little boyfriend. But after his father dying from the Uzumaki curse, who knows if he will still stay by your side so much as he claims." Ryou covered his ears and shook his head. "No...you're lying...you're lying!" he cried.

"Keep that up and you're gonna slip right into that endless abyss." Toben whispered and Ryou looked down to the still raging whirlpool in his tub. "Please! Stop!" he cried and Toben smirked. "I will if you don't call me an animal again." Ryou nodded and Toben chuckled once more before lowering his hand and the whirlpool dimmed away. "Now clean yourself up." he muttered before leaving the room. Ryou whimpered softly before he moved to clean up, now wondering of his fate now.

Toben walked downstairs and into the kitchen. "Who knew you were the fancy chef when you're not cooking up curses." Toben said with a grin. "Shut up Toben." Crimson growled, brushing back a strand of black that got into his face as he continued to stir the noodles. Toben watched him before grinning. "You're planning something, aren't you?" Crimson smirked. "About time you noticed. Even if we're being nice, we can't let up on our job." he said as he drained the pot and stirred in the sauce. "Such a cheeky bastard."

"So are you."

"I know and I pride myself in my title." Toben preened. Crimson shoved Toben away as he took the bowl and headed upstairs. "Have fun. I know I did scaring the kid shitless with a whirlpool in his tub." Toben said with a cackle before he went back over to the spiral in the floor and sunk right back in as if it were water. Crimson only shook his head as he headed upstairs, using the scent of fear that permeated the air to locate Ryou. Said boy was currently curled up on his bed, face buried in his pillow. "Awww, the poor boy. He looks so cute all worried over the end of his life." Crimson mocked as he stood in the doorway. Ryou looked up before lowering his head.

"Go away. I don't want anything a demon like you would make for me." he whispered and Crimson tsked. "Too bad. I slaved over a hot stove to make this for you and you go and reject it. Unless you like the idea of force feeding, I suggest you eat it or we can do this another way." he said, grinning as the food on the plate started to move on its own, strands of pasta raising up and curling in on itself, manipulated into the dreaded thing Ryou hated most of all. "Now, do you want to eat or die early by the most usual of ways?" he asked and Ryou gulped as he watched him before looking down and nodded. "Alright. Now we're getting somewhere." he said as the food returned to normal and the plate was handed over. "We could be so much nicer to you but that's if you come to the Ankoku no Kajou. Other than that, we have free reign to make your life a living hell." he spoke as wisps of shadows started to emerge from him.

"So learn well of each experience that happens to you for they will only get worse." The shadows started spiraling up, dispersing into the air. Ryou watched as he left before sighing as he ate the food. It was about time he discussed about what to do about the Ankoku no Kajou with Hitoru.

* * *

The next morning, Hitoru came over to the house, keeping an eye out to make sure nothing was going to happen to him as he went, before knocking on the door. Ryou opened it and let Hitoru inside. "We need to do something now, Hitoru. If we don't, you'll die." Ryou said and Hitoru nodded. "Yeah. My mom's already a wreck from my father dying but I'm not going to be next and neither are you. So what's the first thing you think we should do?" he asked. "Well, the only thing I can think is head back to the library. I went there already and talked to Marik and he gave me a book but all it told was the history of the Ankoku no Kajou. I didn't look further in after that." Hitoru nodded.

"Bring the book to me. If it knows about the Ankoku no Kajou, then it must know some sort of spell to take care of him." he said and Ryou nodded as he headed upstairs. From his own place, Bakura smirked as he watched. "Too bad you won't find anything with the pages gone." he murmured. Ryou soon came back downstairs with the book and Hitoru took it from him, opening it and skimming through pages. He stopped when he came across a section that was ripped out. "Hey, there are pages missing."

"How could that have happened? The book looks perfectly preserved so why would any pages be missing?" Ryou questioned. Hitoru mulled over it before he sighed. "Maybe the missing pages were the answer but the Ankoku no Kajou took it out to prevent us from getting rid of him." he said before tossing the book. "Damnit! We were so close!" Ryou placed a hand on his arm. "Wait, maybe there's still something at the library. If Marik was able to find this book, then there must be others if we're lucky." Hitoru nodded and both soon left. But as they went, Hitoru thought over what Ryou said and started becoming suspicious of Marik.

When they got there, the library was silent other than the tapping of keys on a keyboard, indicating someone was in. Ryou thought of the situation to be eerie since there was never a time when the library has been completely empty during hours. He walked over towards the reception desk with Hitoru, seeing Marik there. He stilled his hands before looking up to them and smiled. "Well hello there, Ryou. Interesting to see you here." he murmured. "Well I have an inquiry. The book you gave me on the Uzumaki curse, there was some pages missing. Do you happen to have them?" Ryou asked. Marik chuckled softly before shaking his head. "Nope. I never saw any pages. Some shameless kid must've torn them out and took them with him. It's so hard to manage such a huge place alone but I live with it." he said, smirking a little. "So tell me, what are you looking for today?"

"Well...I want to find something on the Ankoku no Kajou. More preferably a way to defeat him and free the city."

"Oh, that must be a tough goal. Here, let me help you out." Marik said as he stood and moved away from behind the counter. Hitoru watched him closely and thought he saw something strange in the other's eyes but wasn't able to see clearly because of the dim lighting. "I'm going to stay here if you don't mind." Hitoru said and Ryou looked back to him. "You sure?" he asked. Hitoru nodded and Ryou returned the gesture. "Alright...just be careful." he said before walking off with Marik. Hitoru waited for them to be out of hearing range before he ducked behind the desk and started shuffling through things. "There's something wrong with that man and I'm going to find out." he said, unaware of who watched from atop a bookcase.

"So tenacious he is, Crimson." Toben said, licking his lips. "I would love to tear him apart."

"I would to and so why not?" Crimson said, grinning as he slit his palm, watching the blood well up before he dropped it onto a blank papyrus sheet that sat before him. The drop was absorbed and soon, symbols started to spread across the page. "Time for round two, you foolish boy. Let's see you not get yourself a _paper cut_." he whispered and laughed darkly. Hitoru looked up as he heard the laugh but didn't see anyone around. the papers on the desk rustled softy by an invisible wind before they were carried up by it. Hitoru was unaware until he saw one sheet fluttering about his feet. He watched it before realizing the jagged edge. "This must be the missing page." he said and reached to grab it but it eluded him, fluttering off in the breeze. He chased after it but he then realized his mistake once he was out in the open. Not even the sound of a clock ticked away minutes was heard.

"Figured it out, huh?"

"Too bad you're too late!" A voice cackled before a swarm of papers circled around him in a vicious tornado. Hitoru gasped as he was stuck in the eye of the paper storm and reached out to break himself free from it but stepped back as a black figure jumped before him outside of the raging storm. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." he purred mockingly. "And why not?" Crimson smirked. "So glad you asked." He waved his hand and a ball appeared in his hand. "Let's pretend this ball is your hand. Stick it anywhere near these papers and..." Crimson tossed the ball and like instant, the ball was shredded. "Unless you want to be left with a bleeding stump for a hand, go ahead and try getting yourself out." he whispered and Hitoru growled. "You're working for the Ankoku no Kajou?"

"Well duh. Why else would I be here? To have tea and cookies while we discuss my nonexistent love life? Pah! But I'll let you in on a little secret. Each person that works for the Ankoku no Kajou has a spiral eye like this." He pointed up to his left eye with a spiral pupil overwhelming the iris. "And we are the ones that bring the curse to you, Hitoru. The Ankoku no Kajou doesn't like someone mussing up his prize so if we get rid of you, Ryou is ours." he said and laughed again. Hitoru only growled. "You'll never get him!"

"Oh but we will. You just don't know how weak the human heart is. And we'll be willing to prove that. We are all powerful. And to think, we would have never been summoned if poor little Ryou didn't get caught up in it." Crimson spoke once again before cackling as his disappeared once more and the paper storm only gotten worse, some papers actually flying out and slicing at exposed skin. "Ugh...Ryou...Ryou! Get away from Marik!" he called, hoping the other had heard him. Ryou looked up as Marik scanned through some titles, mostly to prolong Ryou. "Marik, I think something's wrong with Hitoru. We should go back." he said as he touched Marik's arm. Marik looked down to him and shook his head. "Nothing's wrong with him. I mean what could possibly go wrong while you're here?" Marik questioned and Ryou became skeptical as he stepped back.

"I'm going to go check on him. Just do me the kind favor of finding a book of spells for me, please." Ryou said before running off. Marik watched before grinning. "I love ya like a brother, Ryou, but even I can't change fate. A little spell won't save you but you can try." he whispered with a laugh before walking further into the library's depth, his left eye losing the mask and became the spiral eye. Ryou ran back to the front and gasped. "Hitoru!" he cried as he ran towards him. "Don't, Ryou! This thing will tear you apart if you try!" he yelled and Ryou stopped, biting his lip. He watched helplessly as Hitoru was given cut after cut as the storm raged around him. He knew he had to think of something and fast before remembering a key idea. Since the Ankoku no Kajou was coming for him, it was apparent that he wouldn't want him hurt, even with his own spell. "Hitoru, hold on! I have an idea and it should work!" Ryou called as he ran forward.

"No! Ryou, don't do it!"

Bakura cursed darkly before raising a hand. "Damn you, boy!" he hissed. Hitoru watched as Ryou leapt at him and before he could touch the storm, the papers stopped and fluttered down to the ground harmlessly. He caught Ryou in his arms and held the sobbing boy close. "I don't know what just happened but I'm glad you're not hurt." Hitoru whispered. "It was the only way. Since the Ankoku no Kajou is coming for me, he wouldn't want me to get hurt. So if I put myself in danger of his own curse, he would stop it before something happened." he whispered. From the bookcase, Crimson spat angrily off to the side. "Brave little brat he is. Guess we'll have to improvise, Toben. Come on." he said before the two disappeared from the library.

They held each other for a moment longer before Hitoru pulled back and looked down to Ryou. "So, did Marik find anything?" he asked. "No, we couldn't find a thing." Ryou answered before looking around. "I wonder where he went to." Hitoru shrugged and took Ryou's hand before making his way for the door. But as he went, he skimmed the floor for the ripped page but didn't see it. He cursed slightly before they left the library. Marik stepped out from the shadows, smirking. "Looks like I have the bait to lead you to your death by Uzumaki, Hitoru." he whispered, holding the page in hand.

* * *

Zypher: And there you have it. A chapter done and another to be soon in the works. Only five more days til Halloween! Hope you all enjoy and will be eagerly waiting for the next segment. Ja ne!


	5. Verse V

Uzumaki

Chapter 5

* * *

When the two returned to Ryou's house, they headed upstairs and into his room, Ryou locking the door while Hitoru moved over to the desk where his laptop sat. "So what are we gonna do now? Marik couldn't find a spellbook or anything related to the Ankoku no Kajou..." Ryou murmured.

"I think Marik isn't what you believe him to be. I think that guy is working for the Ankoku no Kajou. I mean, he acts weird to others but he treats you so nicely." Hitoru murmured as he booted up the computer and looked back to Ryou. "But he has been there for a while. I don't think he would be working for him. " Ryou said although he mulled over Hitoru's words. Marik took over for the last librarian that was there about two years ago and did a pretty good job handling the job. He never hinted anything that would lead him to be part of a magical, evil existence. The only thing that people didn't like was just the fact that he lurks about the library which freaks out many people. 'What if the Ankoku no Kajou got to him sometime in his life?' Ryou thought as Hitoru started searching through the internet for any sort of spell that could possibly target the Ankoku no Kajou.

* * *

Back in his own hideout, Bakura paced as he thought of what to do next. Crimson and Toben sat off to the side, sharing the journal records between them as they thought of what to do next. "Ryou's going to be crafty. If he knows that you two won't hurt him, he will keep jumping in to help that foolish boy." Bakura spoke as he stopped and looked to them. "So now is time to take matters into my own hands. Bring me my summon book." Crimson nodded as he went to go fetch said book. He soon returned with it in hand and handed it over to Bakura. The other started flipping through pages before smirking. "Time to call upon an old friend. Never thought I would call on him again." he murmured as he started getting everything set up.

Crimson binked for a second before gasping. "You're not really going to call...him?" he questioned but Bakura nodded.

"Yes, I'm calling him. I'm going to need him if I'm going to do what needs to be done. As long as that ratty little boy cares for Ryou, Ryou will continue to protect him. But if we force his hand then he'll have to leave Ryou and the poor boy will break down without his shoulder to cry on." he explained and Toben laughed with a psychotic tone. "This will be interesting to see. And there only a couple days left before the fated day. Think Azazel will have the task done by then?"

"He will. He owes me a favor anyway." Bakura whispered as he finished the summoning spell and smirked as a decrepit roar echoed throughout the room.

* * *

After finding one, they got to work getting what they needed for the spell. Once the ingredients were gathered and the spell set up, Hitoru looked to Ryou. "Let's hope this works..." he murmured and Ryou nodded as Hitoru sliced his palm and let a few drops of blood hit the papyrus.

From his lair, Bakura could fee the brush of magic that was trying to affect him and growled before looking into the crystal ball. "You think you can win with a spell of your own?" he muttered before looking up to his guest. "Go after that boy and influence his mind the mistake he has made to trust. Don't break him completely for I want that part to last when my final plague is spread across the city." he spoke as he pointed to the image of Hitoru. Azazel nodded before he became wispy darkness and left the area. "And now, to take care of this little matter." he said as he waved a hand over the ball and soon, symbols started to glow upon it.

* * *

"I hope this works..." Ryou whispered as he watched the spell take effect but before the full effect of it was cast, the symbols on the papyrus started to turn black and soon, the paper alighted into flames, making the two gasp and flinch back. The fire continued to engulf the papyrus and while the attention was on the failing spell, they were left unawares of the being overshadowing Hitoru. Azazel smirked as he started to examine the boy's mind. _'Hmm...let's see what we have here...'_ he thought as he skimmed through memories. Soon, he came upon one that brought the most despair to him. _'Ah...the death of his father...all from the Uzumaki curse. And while he still protects the one named Ryou, he hates the fact that the curse is lurking about him and in turn, affecting him and his mother. Guess he's not as loyal as one would hope.'_ Azazel smirked before delving into the boy's mind.

"Regardless of your help, your feelings shall be revealed and all on the final day when the curse is to take its prey by force."

* * *

The days went by and nothing else seemed to happen. Hitoru tried time and again to cast another spell only to have it hinder by the power of the Ankoku no Kajou. Ryou hoped for one of the spells to go through but still went on with his days even though the fated day was coming upon them. As it got close to Halloween, Ryou noticed changes in Hitoru. The other seems to ignore him now and every time he caught him before he went home to ask what was wrong, he only brushed him off, saying that he had something to do. Ryou felt put off by his lover's cold shoulder but only went along with it and continued on home. The day before Halloween came and Ryou decided to stay home. Eventually, Hitoru stopped by which made him happy to know that he was still with him.

"So what are we gonna do? It's the day before Halloween and I'm sure that spellcaster has something planned as a last ditch effort for resisting him this long." Hitoru said. Ryou shrugged. "I don't know. He's already unpredictable enough. I haven't gone back to the library to see about any more history on the Ankoku no Kajou and there's not much else in the book that Marik gave me previously." Ryou said as he sat down on the couch. Hitoru sighed and sat down beside him. "There has to be something...anything..." he murmured. Ryou nodded as well and sighed. _'But what...what else could he possibly do...unless...'_ Ryou's eyes widened and he stood.

"Hitoru...we need to get out of here." Hitoru looked up to him. "What?"

"We have to get out of the city." Hitoru stood up with him. "Why? Ryou what are you thinking about now?" Ryou looked over to him. "The Ankoku no Kajou. He left his mark here centuries ago. It was a giant spiral in the place where he is usually found. It's underneath the city. If anything, he will use that to demolish the city or something."

"Shit...you might be on to something. Hurry and pack. I'm heading home to do the same and get my mother." Hitoru said and he nodded, watching as the other left and he hurried upstairs. He packed things away into a duffel bag but he felt a chill in the air and turned to see Crimson standing there. "Do you really think you can get far, kid?" he questioned as he watched him. Ryou gasped and turned to see him standing there. "Yes and I'm not going to let you stop us." he retorted and Crimson laughed. "Have fun trying because before Halloween ends, you're going to lose the one thing that matters and when it happens...well I'll just leave it to speculation." he said before disappearing once more.

Ryou watched him go before shaking off his words and continued to pack. Once he was done, he left the house and started for Hitoru's. The three made their way for the city limits, not knowing what awaited them. Azazel chuckled darkly from his place as he started to unravels the boy's true feelings knowing that by the time he was done, everything will have fallen into place.

* * *

From his location, Bakura smirked. "Too late for you all for my final performance will be soon upon you. Ryou, you shall soon be mine and once that happens, this town will be none of my concern." he whispered as he started weaving his final spell, Marik and Toben smirking from the sidelines.

* * *

Zypher: And there you have it. Last chapter shall be coming up later on tonight. This story would've had more but I can get distracted very easily when I know I have deadlines to meet. -chuckles- So I shall see you all soon with the final chapter to this year's Halloween horror. And as a last note before I run off to finish the final [and possibly short] chapter, Azazel is based off the new final boss from Tekken 6. My brother has the game and showed him off to me and made the suggestion of having him in one of my stories and I said I planned to in a later one but decided it would be perfect to make his first debut here. If you have the game, you're in luck cause I'm sure you know how he looks, if not, look for video feed from Youtube or pictures. There are few that can give you a clear view of how he looks but not many.


	6. Verse VI

Uzumaki

Chapter 6

* * *

They continued on their way towards the city limits, ignoring the swirling clouds above that seem to darken as time passed. Ryou stood close to Hitoru as they headed on and soon saw the limits but stopped when they saw the fog that covered the entire area and Hitoru looked down to Ryou. "Stay close." he whispered and Ryou nodded as he took his hand. Hitoru took his mother's hand and both advanced through the fog. They continued blindly on, not seeing an end in sight. Soon, they came back out but gasped when they found themselves back in town. "What the..."

"It must be the work of the Ankoku no Kajou." Ryou whispered. Hitoru growled as he kicked at the ground. "Come on, there has to be another way." he muttered as he walked on. His mother and Ryou looked to one another before following behind him.

* * *

From his hideout, Bakura smirked as he continued to weave his spell. "Almost done?" Crimson questioned. "Just about." he answered as the crystal ball started emanating a dark aura. "Now, let the final game begin." he whispered, an eerie laugh erupting throughout the room as the darkened skies brought down the final plague upon the city.

* * *

Ryou looked up and gasped when he saw the clouds swirling above. "Hitoru! We need to go now!" he called as he took Hitoru's mother's hand and started running as a vortex of dark energy started sucking in the city. Hitoru looked up and gasped before he ran after then, wincing when he felt a stab of pain somewhere deep in his mind. Azazel chuckled darkly as his power started to flow through him. /Bakura, shall I lead him towards the shrine where you will await them?/ he questioned telepathically.

/Sure. Then once we have a few words, let him reveal his true feelings to Ryou./ Bakura answered and Azazel smirked and nodded. Hitoru's eyes seemed to have glazed over and he looked to Ryou. "Ryou...we need to get to the shrine. The shrine is the only safe haven we got." he said and Ryou looked to him incredulously. "Are you mad? We can't go there, Hitoru! The Ankoku no Kajou will be waiting for me there!" he cried. "But if we don't head there, we will get killed by that!" Hitoru yelled as he pointed to the shadow vortex that was growing across the sky. Ryou thought over the decision and felt Hitoru's mother grip his hand and he looked to her. "Let's just go with the safest bet we have now, dear. None of us would want to die in that dark death trap." she whispered and he nodded before the three started towards the direction of the shrine.

The shadow vortex destroyed all it came across. Buildings, cars, even the streets. But it seems the city was devoid of people. Not one person was out, screaming in terror at the destruction that was going on. This made Ryou skeptical and wondered just what purpose that the Ankoku no Kajou had over the place where his curse was set. They continued to run and Hitoru's mother cried out as she felt the suction from the vortex started taking her in. "Ryou!" she cried and he gasped as he tried to hold on to her. Hitoru turned back and ran over to help. "No! I can't lose you too, mom!" he said as he held on to Ryou. They tried to pull her in but the vortex was too powerful and Ryou cried out in horror as he lost his grip on her hand and watched as she was taken away into the vortex.

"Ryou...Ryou come on!" Hitoru said as he dragged Ryou along behind him, only a couple feet from the shrine that seemed to be their only safe haven from the destructive vortex overcoming the city. They ran up the stairs and soon came over to the offering box and there, sitting upon the awning, was the fortune teller Ryou met that very day that cursed him. In his hand was the bloody rose and he smirked as he looked down to them. "Glad to see you two have made it here without getting taken by my final plague." he whispered and Hitoru growled before wincing as another stab of pain hit him.

"Why are you doing this to us? Why do you want Ryou?" he questioned. Bakura looked down to him with a glare before hopping down before Hitoru. "Why? Why? I did this because I want him! I never saw such beauty before in my decades of loneliness! It's not fair that you were able to have him and I can't! I place the curse upon him only because the curse would affect you more than him. I hope for it to drive you away for fear of your own life. But you stuck with him for this long." Bakura whispered before smirking. "But I know that you're hiding a deep, dark secret that even you can't hide from him." Ryou looked to Bakura and then back to Hitoru.

"What does he mean?" he asked softly. Hitoru shook his head and stepped back. "It's nothing Ryou! You just turn everything back to normal and give me my mother back!" he yelled as he looked over to Bakura but he only laughed. "She'll never come back. Everything the shadow vortex takes is gone forever!" Bakura said as he watched Hitoru. "Now...its time for you to reveal your secret. Dear Ryou, your precious little boyfriend has something to tell you." Hitoru shook his head, trying to deny it but that was Azazel's cue to force Hitoru to tell the truth. "Ryou...I hate you..." he whispered and Ryou gasped.

"W-what?"

"I hate you. I hate that you got this curse. It was your fault my father died. It's your fault my mother's gone. Why did you let him get to you! I rather die than to have lost my parents!" Hitoru said before he covered his mouth. Ryou had tears gathering in his eyes while Bakura smirked from where he stood. "See, Ryou? He cared but not anymore. He wanted to support you but he knew he couldn't when you were the reason that his parents are dead. He may love you but taking a loved one is a different matter entirely." Bakura spoke. "Ryou, don't listen to him. I didn't mean it." Hitoru whispered.

"But you do...there's no hiding it, Hitoru..." Ryou murmured as he stepped away from him. Towards Bakura. "You mean everything you said. You hate me. How can you not? I killed your parents. You couldn't bear to love me anymore."

"That's it, Ryou. Listen to the truth. Come to me and everything will end." Bakura cooed as he held a hand out to him. "No! Don't listen to him, Ryou! Don't go to him! He's trying to trick you!" Hitoru cried and tried to run to him. He gasped as he was held back and looked to see Marik stand there. "Not too fast, kid. You spoke the truth and now Ryou's heart is broken. Now Bakura can take the spoils of what you caused." he whispered and Hitoru growled as he struggled. "No! No, let me go! Ryou! Ryou!" Hitoru cried but only watched helplessly as Ryou took Bakura's hand. "I ran from you this entire time and now here you are as my salvation. Will you make the hurt go away?" Ryou whispered as he looked up to Bakura.

Bakura smiled just a little as he nodded. "Of course. The human heart has its weakness but I can bypass them. You can too once you come with me. Leave all the things that bind you here and become my lover." Ryou nodded and Hitoru growled as he punched Marik away and tried to reach them but was hindered by a spiral bolt of lightning that struck down at his feet, leaving Toben standing there. "He's with us now. You lost boy." Toben said with a maniacal laugh. Bakura pulled Ryou close as he raised a hand and soon, shadows started to spiral around his feet. "Time to go. To never return for I've found the perfect person to be mine." Bakura whispered. Ryou only nodded as Hitoru continued to struggle to get past Toben.

"No!" Hitoru cried as he watched as the two disappear in a dark spiral. Bakura smirked to him before he was completely gone from sight. The vortex above still raged on and both Toben and Marik laughed before they were gone as well, Azazel making his disappearance as well. The destruction soon ended and Hitoru could only sit there, heart broken as his one and only love was taken away from him, the clock striking midnight on the bitter cold day of Halloween.

"I'm so sorry, Ryou..."

* * *

Zephyr: And there is it. The end of Uzumaki. Hoped you all have enjoyed the story and sorry for the lateness. Would've have it done on Halloween but went to see Saw 6 with a friend. It was awesome! But anywho, days prior dealt with school, work and lack of ways to end this story properly but here we are now with the end of it. Hoped you liked and I shall see you later with another chapter of another story.


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